CVE-2026-48892 Apache Software Foundation CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for Apache Airflow deployments that configure secrets backends via per-key environment overrides should assess exposure and prioritize upgrading to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-48892 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Airflow's Config API, allowing authenticated users to retrieve plaintext secrets-backend credentials. Defenders should prioritize upgrading to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later and review Config API permissions and secrets-backend configuration.

• Authenticated UI/API users with Config read permission can retrieve plaintext secrets-backend credentials
• Secrets-backend configuration and environment overrides require review and adjustment
• Upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later is required to address the vulnerability

Technical summary

The Config API in Apache Airflow did not redact per-key secrets-backend overrides, allowing authenticated UI/API users with Config read permission to retrieve plaintext secrets-backend credentials. This vulnerability affects deployments that configure secrets backends via per-key environment overrides. The vulnerability has a medium severity and a CVSS score of 6.5. Users are advised to upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later to address the vulnerability. The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on 2026-07-07T10:16:41.480Z and has not been modified since then.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize upgrading to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later to address the vulnerability.

Recommended defensive actions

• Upgrade to apache-airflow 3.3.0 or later
• Review and adjust Config API permissions for authenticated UI/API users
• Verify secrets-backend configuration and environment overrides
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up
• Review the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review

Evidence notes

The Config API in Apache Airflow surfaced per-key secrets-backend overrides as synthetic config options whose option names were not in `sensitive_config_values`, so the masker did not redact them. This allowed authenticated UI/API users with Config read permission to retrieve plaintext secrets-backend credentials. The vulnerability affects deployments that configure secrets backends via per-key environment overrides.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.